Late Summer Tale
by CookieDecor22
Summary: Dan's summer vacation is ruined because of his family, and taking a trip to an oyster farm right now isn't helping. However, he meets a girl who knows a lot of interesting details of the place, but he also meets other unwelcome people. Is vacation going to stay boring or has it become interesting already?
1. Pretty as a Pearl

**2013-05-01, 08:34**

* * *

A loud voice echoed around the room as a long silence followed.

"What is the meaning of this?" yelled a chestnut-haired boy at his parents.

"Dan, relax. We were going to tell you this today, but we forgot. I apologize for the sudden news."

"What do you mean, you 'forgot?' Dad, why didn't you tell me this earlier? Now all my plans are ruined."

"We didn't know about this until yesterday night. It was an urgent emergency, and we had no choice."

"Well, you could've told me last night. At least I'd have may eight hours to cancel my plans that I've been longing to carry out for a long time."

"I know, sweetie. But even _we_ weren't prepared for this."

"How couldn't you? This is absurd."

"Dan, please. We've never asked you for anything and always let you do what you want to do. This time, I **beg **you to put aside your plans and come with us for just this **one **time. I promise."

"And what if something like this came up again?"

"Never. This is a special case because of the new law that recently started. Please, Dan. Your mother and I are requesting you only this once. It won't be boring. You get to hang out at a beach, you know. This will be fun."

_Yeah. Only if my friends come with me and I'm not alone._ "Fine! I'll go. I'll cancel everything that I planned for these couple of weeks to go with you to the oyster farm. I will start packing."

Dan angrily trudged upstairs to his room and grabbed whatever he thought was necessary for a possibly month-long trip away from his house, friends, and maybe civilization. But he was more concerned with canceling his plans last minute and whether or not there was good Internet at where he'll be staying in.

Then his cell phone rang. "Hello?"

"Dan! Where are you? You're going to be late!"

It was another one of Dan's friends whom he made plans with. "Sorry, but I can't go. My parents are dragging me away to somewhere, and I won't be back soon. Just go without me."

"Okay then. I'll tell the others. Bye Dan."

"Thanks. See you next time."

Dan threw his cell phone on his bed and lied down. _This is going to be the __**worst **__summer vacation __**ever**__._

**[~[~L~]~]**

"La la la..."

An emerald-eyed girl kicked her legs rhythmically as she sat down on bleachers and looked beyond the water with a pair of binoculars. She took off her white jacket after feeling how intense the sun's heat radiated on her. The wind blew gently in her turquoise hair, and she looked down at the person standing at the bottom.

"What do you see?" asked a raven-haired boy who looked up at her with his amber eyes.

"Nothing. Just a gray whale who spouted water for about a minute or something. I'm not a marine biologist."

"Well, my mom wants me to be one. What other better occupation is there for those who live by the sea their entire lives."

"Aren't we lucky to have a school around here?"

"Don't mention it."

"I'm serious." She hopped down the steps to the boy greeting her. "Our school needs improvement. The humidity of the sea breezes makes it difficult to perform overnight lab experiments without having our specimens go moist or ruined. Plus, the weather never stays consistent if we're going to do any experiment on climate, nevertheless photosynthesis."

He shook his head and sighed. "They're all natural causes. We can't take care of the humidity, but we can place cups of salt around for absorbing. The storage facilities aren't a hassle."

"Talk about salt."

"I know. Right now, I need to go see Mira and Chan. Meet us in the laboratories by 4 pm."

"See you soon."

**[~[~L~]~]**

"I think you went the wrong way. The oyster farms are over there. That's the most suitable place for them to grow."

"Thank you very much." Mr. Kuso thanked the navy-haired girl and made a U-turn to drive into the other direction.

Dan glared at him. "Dad, how could you _not_ know where the oyster farms are?"

"Well, it's been a long time since I've been here. Miyoko, do you recall the oyster farm being way back there by the fishermen houses?"

"I had no idea you can grow oysters near all those structures."

"Maybe they're near but not **exactly **next to those structures!" Dan exclaimed. The rest of the ride was silent, except for the radio that was on. Minutes later, they arrived at a no exit ended by a two-story house that was in decent condition. "What is this?"

"This is where we'll be staying, Dan." Miyoko replied. She took her set of keys and unlocked the front door. "Even thought it's been a long time, I'm surprised this place still looks as great, even if they never came by to clean up."

"You sure are right, honey. Dan, why don't we unload our luggage? After some more cleaning up, you'll definitely love this summer house." Shinjiro added.

"Whatever."

Dan put his duffel bag and suitcase inside the house and went upstairs to a random room he picked. The summer house looked beautiful with the furniture and decorations, and being this high and close to the shore let in a refreshing zea breeze. _This house isn't that bad, despite the outer appearance. Whoever built this house here is a genius._

Shinjiro got a call and answered it. "Hello?...Now?! But we just got here!...Fine. We'll go there now."

"What happened, Shinjiro?"

"They said that we need to get to the oyster farms now. Miyoko, lock the house and get in the car. You too, Dan. Wee need to leave."

"But I just unpacked!"

"Forget it." Miyoko replied. "Going to the oyster farms is a good experience. Let's go!"

_Great,_ Dan lamented. _Will I ever have any free time here?_

**[~[~L~]~]**

"Here's your receipt." The blunette ripped the paper from the dispenser and handed it to the customer. "Please come again. Oh, hello back there! How may I help you?"

"Is Tatsuo here? Tell him Shinjiro's looking for him."

"He is. Wait here." She ran upstairs and yelled, "Dad! A man named Shinhiro is looking for you!"

Her father immediately popped his head out the door. "He's here? I'll be down soon."

"Is her here for the oyster farms?"

"More or less. Watch the store for me. Saki, they're here."

"I'm coming!"

The girl's parents went downstairs and greeted the couple at the counter. "Shinjiro! Long time no see! Let the four of us talk."

"Tatsuo! You haven't changed! Dan, stay here. Miyoko, Saki, let's go outside."

"What?! Seriously?!" Dan threw his hand up in disbelief. He then crossed his arms and plunged into a chair. _So much for a "good" experience. I'm not even involved!_ Dan eyes the lobby of the store to see containers of various seafoods. "What is all this?"

"Sea cucumbers, laver, abalone, dried scallops, and more." the blunette replied. "On the other side of the store are coral, pearl, and other inedible products. Some fish tanks will be set up here soon for live seafood."

"That's a **lot** of sea products. You must be rich."

"Not even! I would take you around for a tour to see what really is 'rich,' but..."

"But what?"

"First of all, I have to stay and watch the store. Second of all, you're just a stranger to me, not even a customer."

Dan got out of his seat and stretched his hand out. "I'm Dan Kuso. My parents are here for some oyster farm business. They were just here."

The girl extended her hand and shook his. "Runo Misaki speaking. My parents currently own the oyster farm business and just left with your parents. Now that we know each other and have something in common, let me show you this."

Runo pulled open a drawer and grabbed a black felt jewelry box. She opened the springed cover to reveal a round white pearl about the size of a pinkie fingernail sitting on the ivory fabric. Dan looked and gasped. "Amazing..."

"And there'll be more coming when we're allowed to go to the oyster farms later on. But you'll have to keep this a secret because it's a special order for someone."

"I solemnly promise to not speak a single word," swore Dan, holding his right had up.

With a wink, Runo replied, "Thank you very much, Dan. It was nice meeting you."

Dan's irritation and anger at his parents for dragging him here slowly faded. Seeing the magnificent pearl sparked interest in him in going to the oyster farms. _So I get to live in a fancy summer house, see a beautiful pearl along with other delicacies, and meet a pretty girl all on my first day. Not to mention that there'll still be more in store for me later on. Maybe this won't be so bad after all..._


	2. Weird People

**2013-06-07, 19:06**

* * *

Dan couldn't stop thinking about what will happen in the next few days, but there wasn't much left of his summer vacation. His parents were talking more nonsense about the oyster farms, and the only thing interesting Dan could think of doing was touring this place...which still had no idea what the name was.

"Sweetie, we're going to be at the oyster farms all day tomorrow and maybe the rest of the week and trip." Miyoko told Dan. "You should just stay at home and finish that summer homework."

"What?! But Mom, that's boring! I have nothing to do other than homework and listening to music. The TV doesn't have any good channels."

Shinjiro shrugged. "Tough luck, kid. Maybe do some chores. You know how to cook, right? When your mom and I come back, we'll definitely be extra tired."

"Then go eat out at the restaurants!" Dan contradicted. "Can I hang out with Runo then?"

"Runo?" Miyoko looked at Shinjiro, who shrugged again. "As in Tatsuo and Saki's daughter? I don't know. Her parents will be with us at the farms. She has to watch the store front."

"Then I'll watch the store front with her. She has a 45-minute lunch break, right?"

"Well..." hesitated both of Dan's parents.

"Okay then. You two go to the oyster farms, and I go to Runo. We lock the house and each carry a set of keys." Dan walked upstairs to the bathroom. "I'm sleeping. Good night."

Once he settling into bed, Dan made a mental list of what he could do tomorrow. _I don't think I can go to the oyster farms yet. Obviously, Runo is unoccupied during lunch break, so maybe I can ask her to take me to some simple cafes or restaurants for lunch. I still don't know where we are though. Why didn't I look at the signs earlier?!_

**[~[~T~]~]**

"I won't mind at all! I actually enjoy Dan's company a lot."

Dan secretly cheered in his mind as the other four adults let out a sigh of relief. "See? I told you there's nothing wrong with my idea. See you later, Mom and Dad."

"See you later, Dan! Don't go anywhere far."

"Watch our special guest for us, Runo. You know what to do."

Once Shinjiro, Miyoko, Tatsuo, and Saki were gone, Runo took out a map of the town. "I'm surprised you still don't know where you are yet. All I have to say is this: Welcome to Breeze Beach! This is one of the largest beach towns in Bayview, and it thrives even when it's not summer. Just read the map."

A red "x" marked the store he was in, and there were certainly a lot of restaurants nearby. "Can we go eat somewhere? All I've eaten were sandwiches my mom made. Aren't there any smaller cafes nearby?"

"Ah, that's one of the marvels of Breeze Beach. Hangout cafes by day, grand restaurants by night. You know where we should go? To-" A customer in a baseball cap, a grey sweater, and dark jeans walked in. "Hello! How may I help you today?"

"Do you sell oysters here?"

"Oysters? As in live oysters or canned oysters? Neither one yet, but-"

"No, I mean the ones that you raise to get pearls. Do you sell those?"

Runo was extremely confused. _What is he talking about? Those kind of oysters are worth a fortune, like the hen that lays golden eggs._ "Oh. _Those_ oysters. You can't buy them without proper permits, sorry."

"Very well. Thanks for your time." Once that man left, Runo let out a sigh of relief. "That was scary. You have no idea how fast my heart was beating."

Dan grabbed a glass of water for Runo. "Here. Drink this. Do you really need a permit to purchase pearl-producing oysters?"

"No. That was a lie. However, you do need to go through special paperwork to acquire a _farm_, if that's what you mean."

"My parents talk about that all the time." An alarm clock on the counter struck twelve and beeped. "Hey, it's noon. Should we go somewhere?"

"After that scary confrontation? Why not? But I'm scared to leave the store alone. Anyway, we should go to Shellfish Garden. It's owned by my aunt and uncle, who were given that property when my parents transferred to this store. Come on."

_There's finally something interesting to do_, Dan thought. He exited first so Runo could lock the store. _I need to make everyday as interesting as possible._

**[~[~L~]~]**

Dan and Runo chose a two-person table on the first floor under the awnings on the deck. From there, they got a good view of the beach and the traffic of the town. A waitress walked over with a tray of food in her hands. "Table 22? Here is your Thick Pulp Young Coconut Milk, Mango Pineapple Smoothie, Imitation Crab Sushi, Seafood Mix Kabobs, and Small Lobster Crab Pot Pie. Enjoy!"

Runo immediate grabbed a kabob and ate it. Dan stared at all the food in amaze. "All the proportions are so big, even for a small pot pie. What if I can't finish all this? You must really like kabobs."

"Like it? I _love_ it. You can ask the waitress for a take out box. Here's another secret. Remember I told you my aunt and uncle own the place? Whenever I'm coming to eat, they always make the proportions bigger for me but keep it at the same price. All these would be in the middle between small and medium. Plus, it tastes way better than the original proportions. By the way, the sushi is shared if you don't mind. Let's eat!"

Dan took a bite of the the pot pie and was in heaven. "This is delicious! Every piece of lobster is so tender, and so are the mix greens and potatoes. Did your aunt and uncle really cook this themselves? They'd definitely get a job at a 5-star restaurant."

"Well, Shellfish Garden is already 5-star but affordable in Breeze Beach." A raven-haired boy walked up to Runo, prompting her to stop eating. "Hi Shun! What's up? By the way, Dan, this is Shun. Shun, this is Dan. Dan's staying here with his parents for a while, and Shun is one of my classmates."

"Nice meeting you, Dan." Shun shook hands with Dan and took a seat. "Do you mind if I sit here for now, Runo?"

"Not at all. What's wrong? Grab some sushi to eat." Once Shun took a piece, Runo grabbed one with her skewers, but Dan grabbed it with his fork. "My heavens. I'm sorry, Dan. Here, you take it." _Why am I feeling so uncomfortable? It's just a piece of sushi._

"No, you take it. I'm the guest, and you're the host. It's yours." _That was embarrassing! What if Runo won't take me around town because of this? I'll be bored._

"No, you take it. You're the guest, and guests come first."

"But I insist you-"

"Shh."

Shun put his index finger over his mouth and pointed to a table behind behind the aquarium that could only be seen roughly from the deck tables. Dan and Runo followed Shun's finger to see three people, two men and one woman, wearing sunglasses and conversing. "I've been watching and following them all day, and they're up to some trouble. I don't know what."

"You followed them?" Runo yelled softly. "For what purpose?"

"Those three were scouting the school this morning. I couldn't hear what they said, but their expressions showed displease. I hope they're not health inspect-"

"Wait. You still have school going on?" Dan interrupted.

"Technically, no." Shun replied. "Our school is open all year round because it's like summer here all year round. But this year, we're renovating the school, and the teachers need the extra help. Runo, other people, and I have been helping even before the school year ended."

Runo shook her head. "Shun's right about that, but I don't think they're health inspectors. Those three are dressed so casually that they don't bring attention, other than the indoor sunglasses."

"Runo's right. Shun, can I help you guys renovate the school, whatever that is?" Dan asked. "I was going to be bored for the entire summer if Runo hasn't let me watch the store with her. I-"

"Dan, why are you here? The teachers won't allow strangers in, you know."

"My parents co-own the oyster farms with Runo's parents." Dan explained. "By the way, you don't think those three people are related to that weird customer this morning, do you, Runo?"

"Oh..." Shun nodded his head in understanding. "I see. You're not at all a stranger then—wait. What weird customer?"

"Some guy came to the store today and asked if I sold pearl-producing oysters. I simply said no and that you need a permit. Done."

"I don't think it's all that simple." Shun glanced at Dan, but looked back at Runo. "We'll need the extra help after all."

"Oh, we will." she replied. "We definitely will." Dan, Runo, and Shun continued watching the three people as they ate.


	3. Bad News, Good News

**2013-06-19, 18:44**

* * *

Lunch break was almost over, and Runo had to go back and watch the store again. "The bill's paid, and the food's boxed. Dan, you want to go back to the store with me?"

"Actually, he can be of a lot of assistance on campus with the renovations," Shun interrupted. "unless Dan wants to go to the store with you."

Dan shook his head violently. "No, I'd love to go to your school. I want to be around as many people as I can during summer vacation because it's boring here."

Runo shot Dan an ugly glare. "Boring? I just showed you an extravagant flawless pearl yesterday, and-" From the corner of her eye, Runo saw the three people Shun was following look at her. "Oh no," she whispered. "Do something!"

Dan tried to improvise. "Um, uh, yeah, no problem! That milk tea yesterday was so delicious! Now I understand why they call it Black Pearl Milk Tea. The tapioca really look like oyster-bred black pearls. Say, how do you make a black pearl?" Dan saw that the three people shook their heads and continued eating. "Whew. Life saver."

"See? I told you they were up to some trouble." Shun argued. "Never mind, Dan. You should stay with Runo in case something happens. I know Runo's parents must be present at the oyster farms together, and Dan wants to come by the school. How about if we ask somebody in the company to watch the store with you?"

"Great idea, Shun. That way, I won't be lonely or scared, and Dan can spend all his time at our school or with me at the store. Speaking of store, how dare you say staying with me at the store is boring? What is your problem?!"

"Yeah, but it's fun during lunch breaks when we get to go to places to eat."

"Is food the only you care about? Too bad you don't have any of your friends here because I have **so **many questions about you to ask them."

"Like what kind of questions...?"

Runo stared back uneasily at Dan. "Well, uh, such as..."

"Isn't this is messy?" Shun sighed as he walked inside to continue spying.

**[~[~T~]~]**

"...and they looked in my direction when I mentioned 'pearl,' but luckily, Dan changed the subject and diverted their attention."

Runo was supposed to be grounded for a day for having shown Dan the special pearl on the first day before it was delivered to the buyer a day after, but telling her parents about the weird customer and the three people she saw at the restaurant lifted her punishment. Tatsuo and Saki were very surprised, but they didn't jump to conclusions just yet.

"That **is **odd. So Shun was following the trio who staked your school to your Auntie Maki's restaurant?" Tatsuo asked.

"And a customer actually asked you if he could by pearl-producing oysters in **this** store?" Saki questioned. "This **is** odd. Thank goodness you weren't alone, Runo, but Shun shouldn't follow potentially dangerous people by himself, even if he's had ninja training. Thank goodness he ran to you two while eating there for lunch."

Dan cleared his throat. "Also, Shun said that he might ask one of his friends to watch the store with Runo on a rotational schedule so I can be here and at the school at different times. Do you mind?"

"Of course not! As long as Runo's not alone, I'm okay." Saki replied. "But Dan, your parents are also involved with the oyster farms. Doesn't that make you at a vulnerable state? What if those people go after you?"

"I'll be careful. That reminds me. I should go home and tell my parents these events. Bye Mr. and Mrs. Misaki! Bye Runo!"

"Bye Dan!" The Misakis greeted Dan goodbye as he walked home. "Isn't he a nice boy? Runo, if you could just be as polite as him and-"

"Dad! I know what you're talking about, but that won't change anything. We're just friends, but he's the one that actually needs to learn some manners."

"Why don't we talk about this next time?" Saki suggested. "I need to eat."

"Agreed!"

In the Kusos' summer house, Dan explained the strange event of today to his parents, and they were just as surprised as the Misakis. "What do you think?"

"I'm not as worried about the three people since they were staking the school," Miyoko explained, "but the strange customer sounds like he knows something and wants it. Did you get a good look at him?"

"Just a baseball cap, a grey sweater, and dark jeans. Your typical suspect who doesn't want to se seen. His voice was semi-deep and slow, maybe around my age or older. His hair was very light, close to but not exactly blond. He was about my height."

Shinjiro wrinkled his eyebrows in thought. "No, doesn't ring a bell at all. What about the three people?"

"They looked more like adults but only in their 20s. There were two men and one woman, by the way. I don't know if there's any connection between them."

"Hopefully not." Miyoko worried. "Wait. There was a person today walking by the shore watching us at the oyster farm. He wore tourist attire and stood around there for an hour, then left, and came back, multiple times. At first I thought he was headless because his long blue hair blended with the sky."

Dan stared creepily. "Tourist attire? Really? Maybe we should eat something. I'm tired."

"I'll make dinner, then." Miyoko entered the kitchen, followed by Shinjiro, who went to get pudding.

**[~[~L~]~]**

"Everyone, this is Dan Kuso. His family is visiting from Bayview for a few days. Dan, this is Mira, Ace, Chan, Joe, and Billy. Julie was the girl who was at Runo's store today helping her. Hope you're ready for some tough labor, Dan."

Shun introduced Dan to the rest of the renovation student crew, and they got along very well already. However, Dan had something different in mind.

"Tough labor?!" he yelled. "That sounds no different than child labor. What exactly do you guys do here during the summer?"

"We actually have to rearrange some 'furniture.'" Joe replied.

"Don't forget window washing." Ace commented.

"And classroom tidying." Mira added.

"Plus a whole lot more equipment installation that I don't yet trust you with, Dan." Shun finished. "Let's get started. Miss Watanabe gave me her keys and will be coming soon." The seven of them entered Breeze Beach K-12 School and gathered in the central gardens. Shun took out from the storage a few boxes of gloves, rakes, shovels, etc.

"Since today is a cloudier day, I decided that we should do the outdoor work now so we won't be so sweaty. Mira and Ace, you'll do weeding. Chan and Joe, you'll trim the topiaries and hedges. Dan and Billy, you'll water the shriveled plants. When finished, please help everyone else. I need to replace some electronics in the 7th grade halls."

Once Shun left, everyone else went to their jobs, which took place close to one another. Dan took a pair of gloves and gave a pair to Billy. "Thanks, man. What's it like living in Bayview? Julie's parents used to have a restaurant there. Now it belongs to her cousin."

"You're welcome. Bayview is kind of like Breeze Beach, only with more people, traffic, and so on. It's not hot all-year around. Winters are pretty cold with occasional rains. Does it ever rain here?"

"Rarely, maybe about one to two week's worth of rain in the whole year." Mira replied. "What we have a lot of is fog and dew at night and early morning, yet there's a lot of sun-"

"Wait." Ace interrupted. "Are you really that visitor that Shun told us Runo had? What is your relationship with Runo? I never knew she had a friend like you. Are you her pen pal? Boyfriend? Secret lover? You two sound like each-"

"Technically, I'm **just **a friend—no, **acquaintance**. Our parents work together in some business." _Sheesh. I'm not dating her. Why do I feel so awkward about this?_

"Oh! The oyster farms, isn't it?" Chan guessed. "Miss Watanabe told us about it. Remember when we had that special field trip there under the Misakis supervision? I love that place!"

"And we all got to eat oysters for free!" Joe added. "We only ate the ones that happened produced pearls in a while. Also, do you..."

Dan was shocked not only about them knowing so much the oysters, but also them going there for a field trip. Later, Shun came outside after finished installing and grabbed a pair of gloves, but a vehicle pulled up in front of the school. "Whose that?" Dan ran to the garden gates and was shocked. "Somebody here owns a limousine?! You guys **are** rich."

"Limousine?" Shun ran up to Dan and watched a person get out of the backseat. "Oh yes! She's back..."

"Who's back? Miss Watanabe?"

Shun shook his head and watched a redhead girl walk up to the gardens in her high heels. "Alice, you're back. What took you so long?"

Alice stepped back and took off her fur coat and smiled. "Our petition passed and is in the Board of Directors' hands! Now we need their approval. Our school has hope in avoiding demolition in the following school year."


	4. A Slice of Back Then

**2013-07-03, 16:27**

* * *

"Really? The petition passed? Alice, this is worth celebrating!"

Shun hugged Alice in satisfaction of how far their petition went, and everyone else came over to hear the good news. Dan joined in on the celebration, but wasn't sure of exactly what was going on.

"But don't you still have to wait for the Board of Directors people to approve it? And why did you start the petition? Why is the school being destroyed?"

"Clearly, you're not from here, are you?" Alice asked. "The government wants to demolish the school because of the health and safety hazards posed by the weather. We started a petition last year to prevent the school from being demolished for **this** upcoming school year, and it passed. We started another one last month, and it just passed. We still need their approval, though. Can't celebrate yet."

"Oh still have school here for another year, but if we're to graduate from here together, we need the school to be open for the following year." Shun remembered. "**Then** we can-"

"Dan!" greeted Runo as she ran up to the gate. "It's my lunch break right now. You want to go eat somewhere?"

"Sure, Runo, but we have a predicament here-"

"**You're** inviting **this** guy to **lunch**?" Ace gasped. "I knew it! You two **are** da-"

"Ace, why don't you all take a break? The garden work isn't a big deal because the plants don't grow well when autumn and winter come. You can weed tomorrow since it'll also be cloudy." Alice interjected. "And I can't stay long because my grandfather is waiting. The limousine is still here."

"So much for proof." Ace muttered went back to working in the gardens with the others.

"What predicament?" Runo asked.

"Our petition passed, but we still need the Board of Directors to approve it." replied Alice. "That's the only thing preventing us from graduating from here. Grandfather said that if the petition doesn't pass, we'll all have to move out of town and transfer since the government has no plans on building a new school here anytime soon."

"That is bad. Thinking about all this makes me hungry. Where do you want to eat, guys?"

Dan didn't know where to go, but Shun had a suggestion. "Alice, remember that smoothie and yogurt place where we first met? I think it's still in business."

"It is! I saw Miss Watanabe earlier today, and she said she borrowed the snow-cone machine for today from that place since today isn't Snow-cone Saturday or Snow-cone Sunday. We should go there! I'm really parched from that hot meeting room."

"That's a great idea." Runo cheered. "The air conditioning in the store broke, and drinking water didn't help-"

"Your teacher brought a snow-cone machine?" Dan interrupted. "Should you tell Ace and them about it or what?"

Shun and Alice glanced at each other, but replied, "Nah. It'll be a surprise. Let's go!"

**[~[~L~]~]**

"I miss this place..."

Alice gently sipped her blueberry-smoothie and watch Shun drink his lemon-limeade. "It was only when your mom used to work here that you visited, right? I miss those days."

"Too bad things are different now." he sighed.

Runo was waiting at the restroom, but the long line of people standing there didn't progress very much. Dan took the time to ask Shun and Alice more questions. "What do you mean by you two first met here?"

"Oh, that." Alice couldn't help but giggle. "I moved from Moscow to here because my grandfather was offered a job here as a marine biologist. That was way back then when I was five, and he was at least a decade or more away from retirement. His first task was to test the water daily for levels of some natural toxins. Both my parents passed away, so he asked the then-manager here to 'babysit' me."

"And at the same time," Shun continued. "my mom worked here. Because my dad left after a messy divorce, she also also asked the manage to 'babysit,' as Alice would describe it, me. Then I saw Alice throwing sand at seagulls and became friends with her."

"You threw **pebbles** at the seagulls. Those hurt them more than sand."

"I was **bored**. We worked on a sandcastle the next day and on. We still hung out together even after my mother passed away and grandfather tool custody of me, just not here anymore. Dr. Gehabich—Alice's grandfather—got transferred to somewhere else in here to conduct tests."

"This refreshments bar was on the verge of being shut down if Grandfather hadn't started a petition. His tests proved this place is in no danger to any weather or natural disaster."

"Is that what motivated you to start petitions for your school?" Dan asked.

"Exactly. My grandfather works at Breeze Beach Lab Corporations, and his team does his best to conduct tests year round to make sure every facility is stable and invulnerable against **any** disaster, from our school to this place to even the oyster farms."

"I'm back!" Runo sat down next to Dan with a large bowl of cherry-peach-lemon yogurt. "The bathroom line was so long, but it finally. This bowl of yogurt is the largest I've ever bought so far. What are you talking about?"

"About Alice's grandfather, conducting tests, and petitions. Alice, doesn't that make you rich? You came here in a limousine, have a fancy fur coat, and even wear heels."

"Technically, only the heels came from Grandfather's pocket. The limousine is business property, and the fur coat is a Christmas gift from an aunt."

Runo nodded her head in realization. "Oh, all **that**. Truth be told, Dr. Gehabich is a lifesaver. He saved this restaurant and many others from being closed, and because the land is safe to support buildings, many other buildings were built, thus increasing business. Shun's so lucky to have a wonderful girlfriend like you."

"W-What?!" Shun and Alice stared at each other for a while. "Well, I guess you could say that. It's just my grandfather has different opinions."

"Speaking of that, you're the only person that Julie gossips about who doesn't have a crush or a boyfriend. What's your secret?" asked Alice. Shun gave her a glare, but Alice shook her head.

"My secret? For once, I'm going to admit that I'm a hotheaded tomboy who's **kind of** ratchet, but my parents love me because I'm obedient. Do you really expect guys to like a girl like me or for me to like guys who are calm and quiet? And did you say Julie gossips about me? The nerves!"

"You're not that bad or messed up. That's what makes you stand out." Dan complimented. "Your ability to watch over the store single-handedly to manage everything that's going on defines you as an independent woman."

"Look who's talking." Shun smirked. He and Alice stared suspiciously at Dan, who began to feel very uncomfortable. "Say that again? I'm sure Runo hasn't heard such a nice compliment in a long time."

"H-Hey, I'm just saying what I believe, okay? I've been here for almost a week, and this is all that I know. She has the characteristics of an independent woman who can look out for herself. Nothing else."

"T-Thanks...?" Runo replied uneasily as a heating blush rose upon her. _I've been complimented by guys before, whether friends, family, or even strangers, but this is different. Why is Dan's compliment making me feel like this?_ "Shun, remember when my parents said that they wanted me to be a marine biologist like Dr. Gehabich? You think I'm capable of doing that?"

Alice took out a brochure and flipped through it. "You could be a marine toxicologist or marine seismologist. They measure the health of the environment or the stability of the land to the environment respectively."

"Why don't we talk about this later after college?" Shun suggested.

"Good idea." Runo replied sarcastically. "After all, I-"

"Hold on." Alice answered her phone. "Hi Grandfather. What is it?...Of course I am. I'll walk there right now. I changed out of my heels already. You too, Grandfather." She hung up and said to everyone, "Grandfather needs my help at the lab, so I need to go now. Bye guys!"

"That reminds me. Julie said she has a doctor appointment in the afternoon, and I have to go get back to school. Don't worry, I paid the bill. See you next time." Shun pushed his chair in and left.

"I'll take her place then." Dan offered. "Bye Shun. Bye Alice. It was nice meeting you." It felt awkward yet normal again with Dan and Runo by themselves. "Let's go back to the store, shall we?"

"Sure. Why not?"

Summer wasn't so boring anymore, especially since Dan got to spend it with interesting people like Runo, Shun, and Alice. All he still needed to overcome was his summer homework and not blushing or tensing up when people talk about him and Runo "positively" together in the same sentence.


	5. On the Oyster Farms

**2013-07-14, 20:41**

* * *

"FINALLY!"

Dan jumped all around the house and celebrated the opportunity of finally being able to go to the oyster farms. By this day, Dan had been in Breeze Beach for two weeks, and summer vacation would end in a little over that amount of time. Neither Shinjiro nor Miyoko could understand why Dan was celebrating. To them, going to the oyster farms was a part of their duties, and Dan originally wasn't supposed to go at all.

Neither was Runo, but when he heard she was going, he cheered even louder.

"Miyoko, can you explain to me what exactly Dan is doing."

"One word: partying. Why are the kids even going?"

"Because Tatsuo and Saki inviting Dr. Gehabich ended up inviting the kids and many others. Remember to tell Dan to keep away from the oysters."

"I will. I need to remember to tell Saki that, too." She and Shinjiro sighed as they went to make dinner.

_Oh my God, YES! I'm finally gong to the oyster farms, and Runo's going, too!_ Dan then made his way to jumping on his bed like a trampoline, but stopped and stood there in a trance. _Wait...why am I so excited about going to oyster farms? Isn't supposed to be just a a place along the shore where oysters grow and make pearls? And why am I so excited that __**Runo**__ is going? Alice is going since her grandfather's going, right? And Shun always tags along with her. Why Runo? _He collapsed onto his bed and stared up into the ceiling.

"Dan," Miyoko called. "dinner will be ready soon. Can you please clear the table?"

"Okay, Mom. Coming down."

Dan officially decided that he was going to the oyster farms no matter how boring.

**[~[~T~]~]**

Shinjiro parked his car next to Tatsuo's in the parking lot. A moment later, a limousine drove up and dropped Dr. Gehabich and his granddaughter off with their equipment.

"Hello there." Shinjiro greeted the professor. "You must be Dr. Gehabich. I'm Shinjiro Kuso, and these are my wife and son, Miyoko and Dan Kuso."

"Good morning, Mr. Kuso. You know me already, and this my granddaughter Alice Gehabich. She'll be taking part in conducting the tests with me."

"Shun said he might stop by later to give us all snow-cones because Miss Watanabe gave him the leftover ice, syrup, and snow-cone machine to use." Alice added. "I don't know you adults would like snow-cones, though."

"Uh...we'll get our own lunch. Tatsuo and Misaki are waiting for us."

The five of them walked down the rocky cliffs to the very bottom of the beach. Tatsuo, Saki, and Runo were there waiting, standing in shin-deep in the water. Shinjiro and Saki walked into the water while Runo ran onto shore to greet Dan and Alice. "Hey! I was wondering when you two would get here. Is Shun coming?"

"He will later with the snow-cone supplies." Alice replied. "Excuse me. I have to help my grandfather with the equipment. Talk to you later."

Dan was left alone with Runo once again. "Is this really what an oyster farm is? Just clusters of oysters growing in the water waiting for their pearls to be extracted?"

"It wasn't always like this. The beach used to be slanted, so construction was conducted to throw extra sand and gravel from dry land into the water to be smoothed out. Then the oysters were placed in the water to grow and reproduce. Didn't your parents used to own the oyster farms before it got transferred to my parents?"

"My parents have never talked about any oyster farm until the day they told me about it. It was a last minute thing, and I had to cancel a **lot** of plans that I made a long time ago with my friends. I still hold a grudge against it."

"So what were you expecting to see here? Were you anticipating on visiting boring suburbs or a crowded metropolitan city?"

"Well, it **is** by the beach, so I expected to see people coming here for vacation and all other attractions, but if the beach is used for oyster farms, then people can't come here. More negative than positive."

"I see. What do you think of Breeze Beach so far, after seeing the people and places?"

"It's definitely awesome. I wish I lived here because summer weather all-year around is what a lot of people want, but I'm not sure about all-year round school. There's no long summer vacation to spend a decent amount of time at another place. Also, the food is just delicious, **especially **the seafood and desserts."

"We don't have all-year around school, but our summer vacations are roughly a month and a half only. Not only does the food taste great, but we also prepare it in an ecofriendly way that doesn't overfish the seafood so they can take time to reproduce. You want to check out the oysters?"

"I'm pretty sure my mom said to stay **away** from the oysters."

"But my mom said I can go near the oysters. Last one there is a pearl-less oyster!"

Runo ran off to an area more down along the strip of beach at a reasonable distance from the crew to avoid being seen. Dan, who hasn't been to a beach or in a long time, carefully tiptoed in the seawater in his flipflops, making sure not to step on the oysters. "Runo, you guys are crazy. Isn't it better to keep the oyster together and leave space for us to walk in?"

Instead, Runo laughed hysterically but covered her mouth. "That was a little loud, sorry. The oysters grow and reproduce faster when scattered because they have more individual space. And the oysters don't hurt you break at all if you step on them."

"Yeah, but won't our parents see us here? And who's watching the store?"

"Oh, the store's closed. The pink caution tape wrapped around the posts that marks this square area off means that the oysters' pearls were removed recently. They're not going to come back hear anytime soon unless they're doing monthly updates on the tape, and by then you'll be back in Bayview. How long do you have left before leaving?"

"I have to get back to school in three weeks and am leaving in a little over two weeks. Can't belive half my stay here is gone."

"Fun times don't last, as they say." While Dan wasn't looking, Runo scooped a handful of seawater and aimed for Dan. "Caught you off guard!"

"Hey! What was that for? Now I'm wet and cold, and my clothes aren't water resistant."

"You're supposed to know that in advance, Dan. At least you wore proper footwear." Runo threw pebbles at Dan's feet, and he jumped around in a weird dance.

"Okay, I'm not going to go easy on you." Dan placed both his hands in the water and flicked them forward, splashing Runo from a distance. "So who's wet and cold now?"

"Today's a sunny day, so who cares?" They splashed each other for the next few minutes until Runo saw a figure passed by up on the cliff. "Is that Shun? We get to eat snow-cones now!"

"That's not Shun." Dan corrected. "He's already down here on the beach talking to Alice. When** did** he get here? Anyway, I'm going to get-"

"Shh!" Runo ran onto the sand and squat down under the rocks after dragging Dan out with her. "That person is still up there with other. What are they doing?"

"One of them has a clipboard and is checkmarking things off. Do you have binoculars?"

"I have a mini spyglass. Here."

Dan extended the mini spyglass and looked up. One of the men had pale-lime hair and spoke with the clipboard man, who wore funky shades and had long blue hair. "Oh my God. I think that limehead might be the weird customer from the other day, and the clipboard man might be the weird tourist that scouted the area above on the same day according to my parents?"

"Wait, who?! Let me see." Runo looked up to see the limehead and clipboard man talking to a blunette woman, from time to time adjusted her trident earrings. "That woman was sitting with the two other guys whom Shun was following. I **do** kind of recognize the lime-haired guy. What do we do now?"

"Maybe we should tell our parents. Other unauthorized visitors aren't allowed, right?"

"Or we continue to spy on them and see what they're up to."

"Without Shun's help? He's been watching them for a while now."

"Not yet. They might be saying something important. Help me climb up this rock."

"Fine."

Dan and Runo ascended a level up the rocks and listened in on the trio's conversation.


	6. A Lot in Common

**2013-07-28, 23:20**

* * *

"I already put in the decoy, and everything will be affected. You can check that off, Gus."

The limehead told the clipboard man to check off what they've completed already. The woman lifted up a page and scanned the next page. "We're still not done, Hydron. The decoy may be in, but what about the school? There were so many students there the other day that we couldn't do anything. We almost got caught by that raven-haired kid."

"Who happens to be down by the oyster farms now." Gus pointed at Shun, who was still conversing with Alice. "He looks very close to the professor's granddaughter, and the professor's collecting samples of water for his tests."

"Wait, is he testing the water now?" Hydron asked. "Mylene, they're not supposed to know the water's poisoned yet."

"Did I **say** that the water was poisoned? No, so don't jump to conclusions, brat." the woman snarled. She spied on Dr. Gehabich with her binoculars. "Just as I suspected. He's not going to find anything until a **long** time later."

"But what if that 'long time later' finally comes?" Gus asked. "What will we do then?"

"I'm thinking about it. Shadow and Volt still have to go to that school. Why the heck would students be there during summer vacation? This is illogical."

From the near-bottom of the beach, Dan and Runo heard every single word of that moment of conversation and were shocked. "Dan, they poisoned the oyster farms. We could be infected by toxins"

"But that Mylene woman said it **wasn't** a poison. And what do they mean by 'decoy'?"

"You actually believe what they say? 'Decoy' makes me think 'fake,' but what did they plant around here? Now that you mention it, poisoning a mass group of people sounds crazy. These waters travel and can move anything from the oyster farms down to the recreational beaches in a few hours. Maybe it's a slow poison, but she said Dr. Gehabich won't find of it until a long time later."

"Or she's trying to eliminate competition. That's possible."

"But why mention the school? Speaking of school, did you listen to what they said about Shun? He could be their next target. Thanks goodness Ace and the others are working on school beautification and renovations. Who knows what they might do-"

"Shh." Dan covered Runo's mouth and waited. Minutes passed by in silence, and Dan finally let go of his hand. "Drats. They're gone already. So much for trying to find out more."

"And I have a message from Alice. She said to meet up with her to eat snow-cones. Let's—ow!"

Fearing the trio were still around, Dan covered Runo's mouth again. "Shh. What happened? Did you hurt yourself?"

"I think I twisted my ankle while climbing the rocks. Just give me some assistance."

Dan put Runo's let arm over his shoulder as he walked and she hopped back to the crowd. Their parents walked back up to the road to buy lunch at nearby stores while stayed behind. Alice and Shun worked the snow-cone machine, which was solar powered. "Dan, Runo, there you are? What flavors do you want?"

"I want watermelon!"

"I want lemon!" Runo sat down on a rock and examined her ankle. "It's all red. I don't know if I can walk up the cliff."

"I'll help you up, and so can Shun and Alice. How you plan on telling your parents is-"

"Well, this sucks." Shun suddenly blurted. "Joe must have taken the bottle of lemon syrup and never gave it back. Runo, do you want lime instead?"

"Sure." Suddenly, Runo remembered the limehead, Gus, and Mylene. "Dan, should we tell them about what we saw and heard and that Shun and Alice are in danger?" she whispered.

"I don't know. I'm definitely not telling my parents. Even if I do, they won't believe me. We weren't supposed to be there anyway."

"And if we tell Shun, he's going to tell Alice, who's going to tell her grandfather. No, forget that I even suggested telling them. We'll just wait and tell them someday. Right now, we're not certain of what the whole-"

"All done!" Alice interrupted as she gave Dan and Runo their snow-cones. "What are you guys talking about?"

"Nothing." Runo lied. "I sprained my ankle, and I don't know if I can walk up easily."

"Grandfather says we're leaving soon. I'm sure Shun, Dan, and I can help you help the cliffs." They all looked up to see the four parents returning. "Looks like your parents are finished with lunch. I think Grandfather has one last thing to tell them, and that's it. Let's get moving now."

Shun and Alice each wrapped one of Runo's arm on their shoulders, and Dan followed them to watch behind them. "By the way, Grandfather and I have a meeting with the Board of Directors coming about the petition. Let's hope that it passes, okay?"

For the rest of the afternoon, neither Runo nor Dan talked about what they saw or heard. Thinking about the school and the petition only added to their stress.

**[~[~T~]~]**

Dan laid back in his chair after completing another portion of his Honors English homework. Reading a few books for the summer was enough, but selecting quotes and responding to them was even worse. He grabbed his cell phone and checked for any new text messages, in which there was one.

_Hey Dan. It's Runo. What should we do about those three people?_

Dan was shocked by how Runo acquired his phone number and texted her.

**What the hell?! How did you get my phone number?! :O**

_I took your phone and dialed my number on it so I'd have your number. Do you mind? :/_

**No, but tell me ahead of time. Honestly, I think we should tell at least Shun and Alice. They could be in trouble right now.**

_I agree. Both Shun __AND Alice are important to them and in their way in terms of the school and the oyster farms. Have you thought of what "decoy" could mean?_

**Uh...they put something in the water to make it bad? "Decoy" means "fake," right?**

_Like those fake ducks hunters use to lure real ducks, yeah. Are they trying to lure us out of the oyster farms and school? Why?_

**Well, we still haven't seen the other two men whom Mylene was eating with the other day.**

_So those two other people are Shadow and Volt?_

**I think so. How are the school and oyster farms related? They're located so far away from each other with nothing in common.**

_Well, the oyster farms ALMOST got approved for demolition if Dr. Gehabich hadn't started another petition. Same thing for the school._

A long period of silence followed as the two realized what both places had in common.

_Do you think those people are trying to demolish both establishments? I bet they want the land to build something on._

**Clearly, those people have no interest in your education or the economy of Breeze Beach. If they want the land, then they won't get it. **

_What are you going to do?_

**First of all, maybe they poisoned the water so that the tests say that water isn't suitable for raising oysters. As for the school...**

_The school sits on top of the hill. The fog and dew often makes the place very wet, even for a sunny place like this. That was one of the reasons why the petitions started. Anyway, I need to eat dinner. TTYL._

**And I need to finish my summer homework. TTYL.**

Dan and Runo disconnected and both thought about what to do about the oyster farm and school. Neither one of them knew anything about those people or what they were up to yet, but for certain, something had to be done.

"Dan! Time for dinner!" Miyoko yelled.

"Coming!"

Dan went downstairs and joined his parents for dinner as they watched the local news. He thought about those people over and over, but wasn't sure if he should tell his parents or not. Instead, he asked, "Mom, Dad, what makes an oyster farm suitable for growing oysters?"

"Let's see." Shinjiro began counting fingers. "The water temperature must be right."

"Salinity can't be too high or low." Miyoko added.

"There must be enough space."

"The pH must close to perfect."

"And so on."

"Do anything of those things apply to buildings built here around areas of high humidity?"

"A lot of them, more or less." Miyoko replied. "Why do you ask?"

"I'm just curious about the oyster farms, that's all. Hey, that's something interesting on the news."

The conversation about oyster farms ended there.


	7. Sweet Worries

**2013-08-10, 14:31**

* * *

Shun wasn't a bit pleased to hear what Dan had to say. Runo was there, too. They explained everything from the weird customer to eavesdropping on the day of the oyster farm visit. It was also when Shun realized that those people were on to him as well.

"Shun, you have to belive us." Runo begged. "We didn't plan on tell you this yet because we thought you'd tell Alice, who'd tell her grandfather, but your lives are at stake here."

"And the woman even said that you were 'very close to the professor's granddaughter.' We're all potential targets. They want **something**." Dan added.

"Let me think about this. So the weird customer, trio I was following, and tourist that you mom saw are all in on this conspiracy together?"

"Yup." nodded Dan and Runo in unison.

"And they both want the school and the oyster farms? Alice and I **are** in danger. I'm a threat because Miss Watanabe lets me be in charge of most of the renovations because of my skill. Runo, your family is a threat to them because you own the oyster farms. Alice and her grandfather are a threat because they're the ones who started these petitions to protect the facilities. As for Dan..."

"I'm a threat because my family is here about the oyster farms, too. Come to think of it, I never knew why my parents suddenly just. They said it was a 'special case because of the new law that recently started.' I don't even how I remembered that."

Shun and Runo glanced at each other. "What? Did I say something wrong?"

"No, but the government **did** pass a new law stating that the requirements of temperature, salinity, and so on get raised a little higher varyingly." Shun explained. "Maybe that's why Dr. Gehabich is so booked up with tests. The database files are all too old to be taken out, so new tests need to be conducted. That's also why I'm booked up with the recent renovations."

"Has the school been tested yet?"

Runo shook her head. "The school is the only place that needs the least testing because it's fog and sun there all-year round where as other places can change just by high or low tide. That's why Alice pushes the petitions so early."

"It's starting to make sense now." Shun pounded his fist into his other palm. "They must be contractors interested in the property. I saw the same three people that were staking the school the other day staking here again yesterday when Miss Watanabe came by to help me sync the clocks."

"Again?" Runo whined. "There's not much we can do now."

"Also, Alice and Dr. Gehabich have that board meeting today. Let's hope they come back with good news."

"Specifically the approval of the petition. Dan, you want to go somewhere? My mom is watching the store, so I don't need to be there."

"You take the lead. I still don't know this place very well."

"Whatever you say. See you later, Shun."

**[~[~L~]~]**

Dan and Runo passed by an ice cream cart, and Dan offered to pay for both of their cones. Runo took advantage and got an expensive combination of flavors and toppings. Together, they sat down on a bench and enjoyed the treat.

Dan was very fascinated by the quality of the ice cream. "This ice cream is delicious. It actually has a lot of flavor in it. Even the vanilla has a taste so strong that a lick of this isn't even close to a bite of others."

"Stop exaggerating. You're just missing out on the good things of the feeling of summer all-year round. To me, this is normal. I usually take a smaller ice cream than this, but since you're paying, it's free to me. Sometimes I don't understand how you function."

"We're not **that** different. Look. We're both only children, have annoying parents, love freedom and getting whatever we want, and so on. By the way, what made you decide that you needed my phone number? How did you get my phone in the first place?"

Runo held her tongue on her ice cream cone and as thought. "I took your phone on that day Shun came by our lunch. All your attention was at the suspicious trio. I thought I might need it someday, so I kept your number for a while until I texted you that night."

"You kept my number for two weeks?! What did you do with it? Stare at it all night before going to bed?"

"More or less. I have you listed as 'Dan Kuso.' That's all."

"Technically, my full name is Daniel Kuso, but nobody calls me that, except when my parents are super angry at me. You know what they have me named as on **their** phones? Simply 'Son.' That is what I get for being an only chi-"

"Oh! My parents list me as 'Pumpkin.' I feel your pain, but just to annoy you, I'm going to change your name from 'Dan Kuso' to "Daniel Kuso.' Now I'm the only person who has you listed as Daniel. Beat that."

"'Daniel' sounds like something that my future colleagues or boss somewhere would call me. By the way, what do you want to be when you grow up?"

"I'm going to stay in Breeze Beach and manage my parents' store or own a restaurant like Auntie Maki. My mom wants me to be a marine biologist, but it sounds tedious. My dad's pretty neutral. What about you?"

"A sports manager or coach. Anything with sports involved is good for me. I've considered basketball, baseball, soccer, and football, but I don't have a definite decision."

"How about aquatic sports? Do you like volleyball?"

"I don't look forward to swimming, though. My mom likes volleyball. Okay, change the topic. I know it sounds cheesy, but thanks for giving up your free time taking me around Breeze Beach. You're the best tour guide ever and beyond, but don't you have friends to spend your summer with?"

"This summer's already had a boring start with the school renovations, so I get to see my friends **only** during 'work.' I haven't went shopping with anyone this summer at all. It's not just me. Most of them are busy renovating the school. You've seen how busy Shun is? Also, to be honest..."

"What?"

"Spending time with you is more enjoyable than helping with renovations, even if it means I can't go shopping for clothes, accessories, and other personal stuff. Thanks for bearing with me."

"Well, I have no choice because I don't know this place, but even if my parents to me took me to an amusement part here—whether or not there is one here—I'd rather hang around town with you than do that because you actually understand me."

"Really? I do? That's a first." Runo blushed a little and used the remainder of her ice cream cone to cover her face. "You know, Shun was right when he said I haven't heard such a nice compliment in a long time. You've complimented me **twice** in less then a month's time of knowing each other. Also, there is an amusement park here. I'll take you there someday when it's open **and **less crowded **with** Shun and Alice."

"I did? Then you must honored." But when Dan heard the last part, he spat out some of his ice cream. "What?! You're bringing Shun and Alice? Then it'll be a like double date!"

"Did I say 'double date'? I only mentioned the four of us. You're not even my b—excuse me." Runo got a call from Shun and answered it. "We're in Sundial Plaza. What's up?"

"They're still not done yet. I'm worried that the meeting went sour. You want to come by?"

"Still not done yet?" Runo's heart beat faster as the agonizing thought. "We'll be there now." She hung up with her hands trembling. "The meeting should've ended by now. Why aren't they done yet?"

"Is it about the meeting? Did the petition not pass?"

"No, but they haven't come out yet. Shun's worried that the meeting went sour and suggests that we come over now. Let's worry about the amusement park later. "

"You're right. Lead the way."

Given the weird events that have occurred in the past days, their worst fear could've possibly come true during the hour.


	8. Trap

**2013-08-22; 11:02**

* * *

Shun waited impatiently outside General City Hall for the meetings to be over. The meeting was originally supposed to take less than half an hour, but now it was almost a full hour. Runo and Dan arrived in a cab shortly.

"Shun, what happened? Did anyone come outside yet." Runo asked.

"Not at all. She called me at 12:25, telling me she got here. I came by half an hour after that, hoping it'd be over by then, but I've been waiting for a total of forty-five minutes."

"Maybe they're on lunch break." Dan suggested. "No, wait. The meeting started after noon, so nevermind. Let's continue waiting."

Ten minutes later, Alice **still** hadn't come out. Runo took a cab and left after receiving a message from her mother to go back. Dan and Shun waited quietly until Dan broke the silence. "How is Alice able to attend all these meetings? What are they about?"

"Dr. Gehabich is the lead scientist who presents the data to the Board of Directors. Alice represents the entity of the school, along with Miss Watanabe and me, but we don't have the time for it. Dr. Gehabich has known the Board of Directors for a long time, which is why they trust him and Alice."

"So that's why. There are some things that I will never understand about this place. When **did** those people here?"

"I like I to find out, too, but I don't know where to get started. Too bad Runo had to go back to the store. Didn't she say Mrs. Misaki was watching the store?"

"Yeah, she did. Maybe Mrs. Misaki has to go to the oyster farms."

"Given the recent events, don't you think she'd ask you to come along for safety?"

"She wouldn't know if I was with Runo or not."

"But you** have** been hanging around with Runo for a long time."

"That's nothing compared to you and Alice."

Dan and Shun stood in silence again waiting for the someone to come outside. Later, Dr. Gehabich ran outside frantically, and Dan greeted him first "Dr. Gehabich! Did the petition pass?"

"Is the school going to stay for the following year?

"Are the oyster farms clean and unpoisoned?"

"Stop!" Taken aback by the professors sudden behavior, Dan and Shun backed up silently. "I must apologize for my sudden exclamation, but I cannot listen and answer both of your questions at the same time. First of all, I have good news **and** bad news. The good news is that the petition passed."

"That's great news." Shun responded. "The rest of us will be able to graduate together next yet. But the bad news?"

"Actually, I have two bad news. The first bad news is that the pH of the water in the oyster farms is at 11. The oysters will die."

"Oh!" Dan exclaimed. "I bet the 'poison' that those people planted wasn't a poison at all. It was extra salt! Shun, I know how they did it!"

"Good for you, but-"

"What poison? What people? What's this 'extra salt' you're talking about?" Dan didn't realize that neither Alice nor Dr. Gehabich knew about the suspicious people yet. "Well?"

"I'm sorry, Dr. Gehabich, but I'll explain to you-"

"There's no time for explaining. The second bad news is that Alice is missing!"

"WHAT?!" Shun yelled as he grabbed Dr. Gehabich by his sleeves. "How could she have gone missing? Wasn't everyone sitting together in the meeting?"

"Yes, but the meeting is over, and I haven't seen her since her restroom break. I asked my female colleagues to check, but Alice wasn't there. Everyone is searching the entire building for her, but they have their own work to do later."

Dan and Shun glanced at each other, knowing exactly who did this. "This is hopeless." Dan sighed. "We can't ask Runo for help because she's busy watching the store."

"But we can ask Miss Watanabe and my friends at school for help." Shun replied. "But that would mean telling all them what you and Runo found out, though."

"Sure, why not? Situations are messed up really badly already." With Dan's approval, Shun stepped to the side to make a few phone calls. _What I wanted to do was just have a fun time here, not get mixed up with a conspiracy._ But seeing that there was no way out now, all Dan could do was ask for and be of help. He took out his phone and dialed a number. "Hello? Mom? Listen, I have to tell you something..."

**[~[~L~]~]**

"Pull over here. You won't be able to make a U-turn if you go too forward. Thank you!"

Runo thanked and paid the cab driver and got out. A long stretch of road was under construction, and it was for the better to get off here than to take another route and pay extra fare. She walked down the sidewalk as she stared into space thinking.

_This is the most bizarre summer vacation I've ever had. I meet Dan on the first day my parents need my help. Then came the weird people that Shun was following. Now we're all involved in uncovering this messy plot. Why did it have to have this summer? All the fun times never last, but I don't this summer to be over yet. I don't Dan to leave yet. I've never had an interesting summer or even an interesting time here in a long time._

Runo arrived at the store and went inside. "Mom? I'm here! Where are you?" She received no response but noticed a stain on her cheek in the glass. "Shoot. That ice cream must've gotten on my face when I used the cone to cover up my face."

She ran upstairs to the bathroom to wash her face. "Stupid stain. Why did I choose such a sticky fruity flavor?" Luckily, it was only her face, so the stain came out easily. She stared into the mirror for a while but burst into laughter. "Well, if Dan hadn't paid, I wouldn't have taken the ice cream. He's the one who caused all this."

Suddenly, a faint muffling sound traveled its way into Runo's ears. "What's that?" Runo leaned against all four walls to trace the sound, but it didn't come from the second floor. She went on all fours and placed her left ear against the floor, occasionally crawling from one place to another. "Who's doing that? It's coming from below. Under the small bathroom is...the kitchen!" Instead of leaving, Runo stayed a little longer and listened.

"You said she would come into the kitchen. You had better not sent a fake message to her or sent that message to someone else." said a male.

"I swear, I really did sent that message to my daughter. I'm not lying."

"Then where is she?! Teens these days are always on their phones. She should've seen it by now."

"I don't know. Since I'm watching the store today, she's free to hang out around wherever she wants. She could even be out of town."

"Shut up! I want your daughter here now. This time, call her. She probably won't miss out on hearing her phone ring loudly. Act natural. I'll shoot you the moment I hear anything out of the ordinary."

"Okay. I'm calling her now."

"Saki, you can't! These type of people don't keep their promises."

"Did I ask you to talk? No. So stay silent." A man with a lower voice slapped Tatsuo and dragged him somewhere against the wooden flooring.

_Dad? When did her get here? Somebody's trying to kidnap me. I need to tell Dan._ Runo dialed Dan's number, but it redirected into his voicemail. _What could he be doing now? I'll text him then._ She typed a quick, abbreviated message, but the phone changed its screen rang in response to an incoming call. _My God, shut up, phone!_ She pressed hang up repeatedly and then listened carefully with her left ear on the floor again.

"She won't answer. It disconnected after the first ring."

"Are you lying again? And don't think I won't hit you because you're a woman. I-"

"Hydron, there's no need for that."

"What?"

"I just a heard a phone rang upstairs, and that did **not** sound like somebody left their phone behind. What's above the kitchen?"

_Shoot! I need to send this message fast._ Runo typed a couple more words and sent the message. She slid down the handrail to the store front and ran straight for the door, but a voice stopped her.

"Go outside this building, and I will shoot your parents."

Runo turned to see a blunette man pointing a gun at her. "You must be Gus. What do you want from us? There's no important value to the facilities your trying to steal, even for the oyster farms."

"Smart girl. You already know what my name is, but you'll never know what our motive is. Now get over here!"

Runo had no choice but walk over to Gus and Hydron and be tied and put with her parents. _How dare they use my parents to lure me here? Oh Dan. Please get my message. You're my last hope._


	9. 99-Percent Uncovered

**2013-09-06, 08:38**

* * *

Dan's parents couldn't believe what their son told them and immediately drove themselves to General City Hall where Dan stood with Shun and Dr. Gehabich. Shinjiro and Miyoko were both speechless, so Dr. Gehabich spoke up. "Mr. and Mrs. Kuso, you have no idea what I just learned these past ten minutes about some people trying to steal the oyster farms and the school."

"I know." Miyoko replied. "Dan just call me and confessed a lot of things. Daniel Kuso, I am shocked. Why didn't you tell us this earlier?"

"You wouldn't believe me! All you do here is go to the oyster farms and check, check, and check! How long does it take to check an oyster farm? You brought me here for nothing!"

"How could you say that? Everything we do is for you, son." Shinjiro cried. "You know, Miyoko. Maybe we have pushed Dan a little too far. We thought taking him here would be good experience for him, but I guess not."

"You're right. Dan, I'm sorry. We shouldn't have ignored you for most of these days and left you with others. But keep this to yourself?"

"Because I actually want to do something interesting here. Shun, Runo, and I were going to solve this case together by ourselves, but then we couldn't do much, so I called."

While Shinjiro and Miyoko gave their son a lecture, a woman ran outside to Dr. Gehabich frantically. "Michael! We found your granddaughter gagged and tied up in the kitchen!"

"Really? That's great, but who could've gagged and tied her up?"

"I saw a man and a woman ran out the back kitchen door, but let's check on your granddaughter now." Dr. Gehabich, Shun, Dan, and his parents followed the woman inside to the kitchen and found Alice surrounded by people untying the ropes. "She's right here. Try using a knife."

Shun took out a pocket knife and cut every rope loose off of Alice. He pulled the cloth out of her mouth and hugged her tightly. "I'm so glad you're okay. For a moment, I thought you were gone forever. Did you recognize your kidnappers?"

"Thanks, Shun. It was a woman with blue hair and purplish lipstick. She kidnapped and put me here because she was angry with our petition passing. I also overheard something about her 'poisoning' the oyster farms by placing large quantities of Epsom salt in empty oyster shells and letting them sit in the farms until all the salt is gone. That material is lethal in large quantities."

"That explains what Runo and I heard the the other day." Dan realized. He felt a vibration in his pocket and pulled out his phone. "Speaking of Runo, I have a message from her." After scanning the words, his eyes widened in shock. "Oh no! Runo's in trouble. Two people came to her house and tied her parents up."

"Tatsuo! Saki! I hope they're alright." Miyoko cried. "That's it. I'm calling the police."

"Wait." Dan snatched his mother's cell phone. "I have a plan, but you call the police yet."

"Say what? They people are committing a crime, son! But still, explain your plan."

"First, I need to go to Runo's place by **myself**. Shun, Alice, and Dr. Gehabich will do this." He whispered to the three of them their tasks in the plan. "There. Mom, Dad, this is when you call the police." Dan then whispered to his parents their tasks. "All done, everyone else, be on the lookout for these people. I'll be back."

**[~[~L~]~]**

Tatsuo, Saki, and Runo sat in a circle facing each other as Gus and Hydron waited for their orders. Gus glared at Runo the entire time and eventually spoke up. "How **did** you find out about our plan and who we were? What gave it away? I'm very interested."

"Then I'll tell you then. Get ready to be satisfied by my story, but not about **Hydron** over there. Don't ever have him go disguising as a customer shopping at anywhere. I could tell the moment he walked in he was up to no good."

Runo then glanced up and down at Gus. "And I can't imagine you in tourist attire. You know what Dan's mom said? He told me that she said she thought you were headless because your blue hair blended with the sky. I just laughed hysterically. I wonder how you accomplices find you then. 'Hey. If you can't find Gus, just find a headless guy.' Like, that's going to be **very** easy. No questions asked."

Gus clenched his fist after hearing Runo's words and Hydron's laughter in the background. "Shut up, Hydron. You're the one who gave us away."

"So? You could've done a better job being a 'tourist' by **not** standing around the oyster farms all day. I-" Later, Hydron got a call and walked into another room to answer. "Lucky you. Hello?"

Gus released his hands and watched his hostages while pacing. "Ignore that. Hydron and I may have had some faults, but what **really** made you suspicious."

"Suspicious? Hydron was **awesome** at causing that. Then your other three accomplices were checking out the school. You thought you'd be undiscovered, but no. Shun followed you the entire way to that restaurant I ate at couple weeks ago. To be honest, I shouldn't have told Dan about showing him that pearl in public because they all looked at me. Kudos to Dan for being such a good liar and attention-diverter. Anything else?"

"How did you find out our names?"

"Easy. But first, let me tell you this: Don't ever spy on us while we're at the oyster farms. Dan and I heard you, Hydron, and Mylene talking about some decoys and poisoning the water, and-"

"He poisoned the oyster farm water? You're cruel!" Saki scolded.

"I second that!" Tatsuo added.

"Shut up!" Gus slapped Runo's parents in the face. "Now, **Runo**. Continue talking."

"Yeah, that's all I heard. You can continue watching us now. I have no more to say." Runo did her best to speak in sarcasm in front of Gus, and he was speechless. When he wasn't looking, she scooted closer to her mother and whispered, "Mom, how exactly did this happen?"

"The limehead came in asking if I sold pearl-producing oysters. I said no. Then he asked if the oyster farm was for sale. Again, I said no. How did you find out all this?"

"Then the blue guy came in with knives and guns." Tastuo added. "I fell for the same trick. Where did you learn all this, sweetie?"

"It's a long story, but I'll explain another time. How did you get here, Dad? Weren't you at the farms?"

"The blue guy told me to message you and your dad to come back. Then it all led to this."

"Then who's at the farms?"

"Shinjiro and Miyoko were still there when I left, but-"

"Gus, we need to talk." Hydron said suddenly. "Mylene had to make some changes." The two men stepped aside and chat.

"Runo, there's a pocketknife in my right back pocket. Take it out." Tatsuo turned around for his daughter to reach.

"Since when did you carry pocketknives, Dad?"

"Shinjiro lent it to me to open a presumably dead oyster today. Now hurry up, sweetie."

Runo cut loose her ropes first and them off her dad's then mom's. Saki's ropes were tighter than the others, and Runo accidentally dropped the pocketknife while avoiding cutting herself. "Oops..."

"What was that?!" Gus ran to the Misakis and saw the pocketknife on the floor. "Aha! You're not getting away from this."

"Says you." Runo tossed the closed pocketknife to her father and grabbed the pepper shaker. "This should blind him-"

"Hey!" Dan appeared at the front door and entered. "It's the weird customer and the suspicious tourist! Mr. and Mrs. Misaki, are you alright?"

"We're fine. I'm stilled tied, though. Runo, you and Dan should get help."

"We will. Be careful." Runo immediately ran outside with Dan. "Thanks for getting and seeing my message."

"No problem. Earlier at the board meeting, Mylene gagged and tied Alice up in the kitchen. Shun called his friend and Miss Watanabe for help, and I called my parents. We had no choice but to tell them everything we discovered."

"It's okay. We have to tell them all someday. I'll explain mess here later-"

"Stop right there!" Hydron reach for his gun as he chased the two outside. "Don't make me shoot you!"

"Runo, what are we going to do? So far, I've my parents, Shun and Alice, Dr. Gehabich, and the renovation students what to do. I wasn't expecting this to happen."

Runo looked left and right and saw a cab stopping by. "Do you have money on you?"

"A lot, apparently. What do you need it for?"

She grabbed Dan's wrist and ran over to the cab. "We're going somewhere, and it's all a part of **my** plan."

"But where are we going?"

A clever smirk appeared on Runo's face. "To the amusement park."


	10. Summer's End

**2013-09-21, 23:43**

* * *

**Chrissane: Last day of summer according to the calendar and last chapter of the story! My other stories probably won't end so short.**

**Runo: We should celebrate!**

**Dan: I ain't celebrating.**

**Chrissane: Okay, Dan. Just because it rained earlier doesn't mean we can't celebrate. In reponse to the reviews. **RosesOfTruth**, summer's not normal anymore, but the summer's over soon, so things will probably settle down. **MagicxMusicxMelody**, sorry if I scared you! His parents aren't that mean. Runo will solve...everything. **Cherry-Tree**, coincidental, yet, but I'm not so sure if it's a sync operation. Runo knows everything well enough. **InnocentDiamond**, I know, he sounds too dense when it comes to plans. If you think about it, Runo's all about anger, yelling, and maybe sarcasm. It's her nature.**

**Dan: How exactly is Runo going to solve everything?**

**Chirssane: Don't ask. She lives here and knows the place like the back of her hand.**

**Runo: Yeah! Take that!**

**Chrissane: So there. Don't forget to read and review! I don't own Bakugan, and that's the last time I'm saying it here.**

* * *

**Ten: Summer's End**

"Found it! There's still a lot of Epsom salt in this one."

"So does this one. It looks very new and recent."

"But this one's almost empty. A little late here, sadly."

Shun, Alice, and the other students searched for the fake oyster shells in the oyster farms and placed them in the disposal bin set up. Dr. Gehabich took more samples of water and tested them.

"Now that we've discovered why the pH of the water changed, the oyster farms can back to the Misakis' possession once you find a way to clean out the Epsom salt, Michael." the same woman commented. "I trust that you'll solve this problem. Just tell us when you're finished and ready with your results."

"Yes, thank you so much. I will put all my effort into cleaning the water."

With the school petition and the oyster farms out of the way, the only problem left was catching the five people who caused all this. Ten minutes later, the students found every decoy oyster and threw them away. The water pH remained the same and them slow decreased by minute increments.

Shun received a call from Miss Watanabe. "Hello?...Yes, we're done. How's the school?...That's great. Mr. and Mrs. Kuso will stay here...You saw them? Which way?...Alright. Bye Miss Watanabe." He hung up and announced, "Miss Watanabe saw Mylene and a couple other people with her headed toward the amusement park."

"But Dan hasn't come back yet." Alice reminded. "He told us to stay here."

"Hold on." Shun then received a message from Runo and read it. "Change of plans. Runo's going to the amusement park. That's quite coincidental."

"Maybe Runo's trying to capture the culprits or the culprits are after her, but either way, why there? It's closing hours right now. The traffic will be hectic."

"She didn't say, but she and Dan are going there now by cab. You're definitely right about Mylene going there, but I still can't tell who's chasing who."

"Wait. I have a message from Dan." Shinjiro interrupted. "He's telling Miyoko and I to go to the amusement park and them call the police. We'll follow you guys."

"But honey, we're supposed to watch the oyster farm." Miyoko reminded.

Dr. Gehabich rose his hand. "I'll stay here. I still have to do some more tests."

"Thank you so much, Doctor. Come on, Miyoko." Shinjiro, Miyoko, Shun, and Alice called a cab and rode to the amusement park.

**[~[~L~]~]**

"The girl called a cab and came here, I swear."

"But this place is empty! They couldn't have gone far."

"Then go searching! Split up!"

Mylene, Hydron, Gus, Shadow, and Volt all gathered at the amusement park after getting Hydron's message and went searching inside. Runo and Dan hid inside the cotton candy tent. They slowly tiptoed out to the hit-the-bell game.

"Here's my plan. Dan, you go around and lure them to the Loch Ness roller coaster ride. I'm going to get some props from the dunking pool and dart tent."

"What are you going to there? And what do we do after?"

"I'll explain later. Let's go."

Once they departed, Dan immediately found Volt. "Hey you! Can't catch me!" he teased.

"There are you are!" Volt turned around and went after Dan. "Hydron, one of them's over here."

"Ah! Mylene, Gus, Shadow, this way. That kid is going to lead us to him and Runo."

All five of them immediately followed Dan, who ran as fast as he could to the Loch Ness, just as Runo told him. However, he tripped on an electrical cable and fell on his face. "Ow! Who the hell put that there?"

"Dan! I'm sorry!" Runo walked out and lent Dan a hand. "That wasn't supposed to happen, but I got Plan A ready."

"I forgive you. This-" Dan stood up and saw Runo holding a dart gun and water gun from the dart tent and dunk pool connected by extensions respectively. "What is this?"

"Don't move, or I'll shoot you with these electromagnetic darts that I'm sure will stick on and shock you when they touch the metallic buttons on your clothes." Runo declared. "And when I spray water, that's going to bring an electric shock. Now doubt about it."

"You brat! Get over here now!" Volt moved a few steps closer, and Runo redirected her aim. "Darn it. Everyone, if we rush at her from different directions, she won't be able to attack us all."

"Wait." Shadow stopped everyone and asked, "Do you even know what we're up to?"

"Of course!" Dan yelled. "You guys want the school and the oyster farms. Why else would you want the petition to fail and poison the water?"

"But do you know what's so special about both places?" Mylene questioned. Runo and Dan looked at each confusingly, and Mylene laughed hysterically. "The farms and the school are just step one. We're going to take over the entire Breeze Beach and remodel it for strictly for recreation purposes. Who cares if they're an oyster farm or school here? You stupid kids can move somewhere else."

Runo redirected her aim at Mylene furiously, who had no intentions of self-defense. "Go ahead. We're going to fight back and protect Breeze Beach. I don't think it's worth turning this place for recreational purposes. It's recreational enough already with the weather. Dan came here originally not for vacation purposes, but after a month, he loves the place already. I'm not letting you ruin this experience for him."

"How sweet. The girl wants to save this place so she can spend time with her boyfriend." Hydron sneered. "That's it. I'm going over there."

Runo fired her first couple darts at Hydron, but he dodged them all. Soon, she was out of darts just by trying to hit Hydron. "This is bad. Dan, here's Plan B. Hop over the roller coaster track and press the red button on the control panel right about...NOW!"

Runo threw away her equipment and followed Dan, who hopped over the track and pressed the red button. A row of seats made its way from another part of the track to the starting point. The five people bumped and tripped, falling inside the seats. "Press 'Lock Seats'."

The metal security framed flipped over and held the culprits down. "Press 'Start'."

The roller coaster seats got moving, first in a straight path, then in a twisted outward spiral, and finally approached the loop. Runo looked up with her mini spy glass and waited until the time was right. "Press 'Stop' right about...NOW!"

The seats stopped slightly after the upside-down loop became parallel with the ground again. Shun, Alice, Shinjiro, and Miyoko arrived shortly after. "Hey, it's my parents. The police will be here soon, as long my parents saw my message."

"They can take their time. I should really take a picture of these guys."

Before Runo could take her picture, Dan held her phone down. " should be in the picture, too. You know, for reminiscing?"

"Fine. Shun, Alice, help us take a picture."

Shun and Alice each took Dan and Runo's phones. Runo stood to the left of Dan, and they put their inner arms on each other shoulder. With their outer hands, they formed a heart shape where their hands not only formed the concave side of the heart, but pointed to the five culprits as well.

Alice had Runo's phone ready and checked on Dan's. "I'm counting down now. One, two, three...cheese!"

"Cheese!"

This was the best photo than Dan and Runo had taken in a long, long time.

**[~[~T~]~]**

"One more time!"

Dan requested to ride the Loch Ness one more time with Runo, and Shun and Alice agreed to riding it with them this one last time only. After the ride was over, Dan and Runo went to get some cotton candy.

"Can't believe you're leaving already. This month passed by so fast."

"Me too. At first, I complained about the trip being boring, but instead, it made me look forward to the next day everyday. What are you going to do now?"

"School starts soon. That means my life will be stressed again. You?"

"Same here, but I won't be able to see any of you again."

"You can always come back next summer or even as early as winter break. It's summer weather here all-year round, remember?"

"I'll ask my parents. They only came because of the of the oyster farms, you know."

"So we'll go pearl harvesting! It's very fun, if you ask me."

"Well..."

"Dan!" Miyoko called from the front entrance in a car. "Time to go. The roads will be crowded soon, and the carpool lanes might not accept three-person vehicles."

"Got it Mom! Runo, I have to go now."

"Wait." From her pocket, Runo took out a small, heart-shaped pearl. "I found this on the day when you went to the oyster farms for the first time. I'm not supposed to give you this, but my parents won't accept non-round pearls, so keep it. During the days you aren't here, let it remind you of Breeze Beach, the people, the case...and me."

"Gee, thanks." Dan leaned closer and kissed Runo on the cheek. "And don't tell anyone I did that. You're not my girlfriend or anything, but I sure wish you are. We really do have a lot in common."

"Y-You're welcome. Bye D-Dan." Runo stuttered, gently touching her cheek. _So much for this summer vacation..._

Dan ran outside and got on the car, and Shinjiro immediately drove off. _So much for this summer vacation..._

It was already really late in summer vacation, and there wasn't much time left for any other major plans. What happened this summer was surely worth writing into a book.

However, a picture and a couple of other items were just enough for Dan and Runo to remember this amazing experience.


End file.
